Digital Commons Network^™

Opportunity Restored: Using Creative Measures To Provide Students With Academic Advancement Opportunities Lost During Covid-19, Randal Clint Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study examines the Fast Track and Graduation Path (FTGP) programs—equity-focused interventions developed to offer opportunity to students who experienced academic disruption during COVID-19 emergency schooling (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). The programs targeted students retained due to socioeconomic status, learned helplessness, or the technology learning gap, rather than a lack of ability or low prior performance (Jenson, 2013; Maier & Seligman, 1976; Bower, 2019). FTGP provided structured academic pathways, daily facilitation, technology-based instruction, and character education to rebuild learner confidence and achievement (Reimer & Hill, 2022).

Quantitative data from the Edgenuity© learning platform revealed the program’s …

Special Educator Persistence: Unveiling Teacher Perceptions, Janet Nutt

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

There is a continually growing shortage of special education teachers (SET). The shortage is so dire that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) anticipates that as many as 35,900 new SET will be needed each year for the next decade. One of the leading factors contributing to the shortage of special educators is attrition, or any loss of teachers from their positions (Darling-Hammond, 2003; Ingersoll, 2001). Teacher persistence, therefore, is a critical concern in addressing the teacher shortage. The purpose of this mixed-methods research study is to examine the association between previously identified factors of attrition and SET decisions …

Prevalence Of Covid-19 Associated Xerostomia, Taste And Smelldisturbances Over 3 Years In An Egyptian Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study, Dalia Ghalwash, Ahmed Hamdy, Asmaa Abou-Bakr

Dentistry

Aim: Although xerostomia, smell, and taste dysfunctions are prominent signs of COVID-19 infection, long-term data regarding their prevalence and recovery rates is scarce. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the frequency and persistence of xerostomia, taste, and smell disturbances in COVID-19 survivors over 3 years in an Egyptian sample. Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire to assess the oral symptoms ofxerostomia, which include altered taste and smell. Data was collected from 826 patients recovered from COVID-19. Results: Xerostomia was the most frequent finding affecting 73.6% of the studied sample, followed bysmell disturbances affecting 67.8%, and altered taste reported …

Resilience Of Food Sovereignty Organizations To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rachel M. Brice

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This sequential explanatory mixed methods study explored the organizational resilience of food sovereignty organizations (FSOs) in the northeastern United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a novel “open structural learning approach” that integrates structural contingency theory, open systems theory, and organizational learning theory, this research examined how FSOs’ structural attributes, resource flows, and organizational culture shaped their ability to navigate crisis. The study engaged FSO leaders through surveys (n = 13) and in-depth interviews (n = 7), supplemented by archival data analysis, to explore factors that strengthened or diminished FSO resilience. Findings revealed that FSOs navigated COVID-19 with multiple concurrent …

Covid-19'S Impact On Grocery Expenditure Amid The Rise Of Social Media's Unattainable Wellness Culture Within Beverage Products, Ava Hinz

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper explores post-pandemic consumption through two different lens: economics and media studies. First, I will focus on COVID-19’s impact on the expenditure of grocery goods. Then I will explore how today’s wellness culture is made unattainable through social media by examining an organic grocery store and two beverage products. By examining these two areas of consumption, it provides critical information on an individual’s consumption during the unique shocks of the pandemic and the cultural context behind those actions.

Exploring The Public Health Agency Of Canada’S And The Ontario Government’S Vaccine-Related Crisis Communication On X During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sheraza Burney, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Anita Kothari

Publications

Crisis communication strategies must be tailored to the unique nature of social media. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health agencies have widely used social media to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. This research utilized the social media pandemic communication model to describe the key themes disseminated through the Ontario government and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s vaccine-related crisis communication on X (formerly Twitter). Between 27 January 2020 and 6 April 2021, 1271 posts related to COVID-19 vaccination were collected from three official government X accounts——two from the province of Ontario and one from Canada. Posts were analyzed …

Forecasting Covid-19 Cases, Hospital Admissions, And Deaths Based On Wastewater Sars-Cov-2 Surveillance Using Gaussian Copula Time Series Marginal Regression Model, Hueiwang Anna Jeng, Norou Diawara, Cynthia Jackson, Rekha Singh, Kyle Curtis, Raul Gonzalez, David Jurgens, Sasanka Adikari

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Modeling efforts are needed to predict trends in COVID-19 cases and related health outcomes, aiding in the development of management strategies and adaptation measures. This study was conducted to assess whether the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater could serve as a predictor for forecasting COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths using copula-based time series modeling. SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in wastewater in Chesapeake, VA, was measured using the RT-qPCR method. A Gaussian copula time series (CTS) marginal regression model, incorporating an autoregressive moving average model and Gaussian copula function, was used as a forecasting model. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 viral loads were correlated with …

Patient-Clinician Discussions On Lung Cancer Screening In The United States Before And After 2021 Guidelines, Timothy J. Williamson Phd, Mph, Whitney M. Brymwitt Ma, Mckenzie T. Reese, Erin A. Hirsch, Lisa Carter-Bawa

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Background Screening for lung cancer via low-dose computed tomography of the chest can promote early detection and reduce mortality. However, since the United States Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) issued lung cancer screening guidelines in 2013, uptake has been low. The USPSTF revised the guidelines in 2021 to expand eligibility. Purpose To determine whether patient-clinician discussions about lung cancer screening differs from 2017 to 2022 following 2021 revisions to the guidelines for lung cancer screening. Methods Data were obtained from the Health Information National Trends Survey (2017, 2020, and 2022). Community-dwelling US adults (N = 2973) were in the eligible …

Multitec: A Data-Driven Multimodal Short Video Detection Framework For Healthcare Misinformation On Tiktok, Lanyu Shang, Yang Zhang, Yawen Deng, Dong Wang

Computer Science Faculty Works

With the prevalence of social media and short video sharing platforms (e.g., TikTok, YouTube Shorts), the proliferation of healthcare misinformation has become a widespread and concerning issue that threatens public health and undermines trust in mass media. This paper focuses on an important problem of detecting multimodal healthcare misinformation in short videos on TikTok. Our objective is to accurately identify misleading healthcare information that is jointly conveyed by the visual, audio, and textual content within the TikTok short videos. Three critical challenges exist in solving our problem: i) how to effectively extract information from distractive and manipulated visual content in …

Post-Pandemic Recovery: Search And Matching, Market Power, And Endogenous Labor Demand, Konstantin Platonov

Economics Faculty Works

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, United States (US) output rebounded quickly, labor productivity rose above pre-pandemic levels, profit rates increased, and the labor market tightened, all despite high unemployment. These observations can be reconciled in a search and matching model of the labor market with two new assumptions of strong firm market power and endogenous labor demand. Market power encourages firm entry when prices rise, while endogenous labor demand enables firms to adapt to shocks rather than shut down. Two regimes arise: one with weak market power, representing the pre-pandemic era and another with strong market power, explaining the post-pandemic recovery. …

The Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Student Engagement At A Historically Black University, John C. Travis

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined student engagement across three NSSE administrations at an HBCU—pre-COVID (2018), during COVID (2019), and post-COVID (2022). Engagement was analyzed across four themes: Academic Challenge, Learning with Peers, Experiences with Faculty, and Campus Environment. Results showed that Learning with Peers declined significantly over time, with the largest drop between 2018 and 2022, reflecting pandemic-related disruptions to peer interaction. No significant year effects emerged for the other themes. Two-way MANOVAs indicated that gender, first-generation status, and major did not significantly predict engagement, nor did they interact with year. In contrast, classification emerged as the most consistent predictor, with upper-division …

The Impact Of Coping Strategies On The Perceived Stress And Well-Being Of People With Disabilities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Angela G. Maccarrone

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly and negatively impacted those around the world, particularly marginalized groups such as people with disabilities (PWDs). What remains unclear from existing published research is the exact relationship between perceived stress of the pandemic, coping, and overall well-being in PWDs. Prior research and theoretical models of coping suggest that active coping processes are associated with more positive outcomes versus avoidant coping strategies, which have shown less favorable outcomes on well-being. Due to the varying ways in which the pandemic affected PWDs, coping might serve as a moderator, amplifying the negative relationship between perceived stress and well-being. Building …

Placentas From Sars-Cov-2 Infection During Pregnancy Exhibit Foci Of Oxidative Stress And Dna Damage, Guilherme M Nobrega, Eliza R Mccoll, Arthur Antolini-Tavares, Renato T Souza, José Guilherme Cecatti, Maria Laura Costa, Indira U Mysorekar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Problem: COVID-19 during pregnancy is linked to increased maternal morbidity and a higher incidence of preterm births (PTBs), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Cellular senescence, characterized by the irreversible cessation of cell division, is a critical process in placental function, and its dysregulation has been implicated in pregnancy complications like PTB. Senescence can be induced by various stressors, including oxidative stress, DNA damage, and viral infections.

Method of study: In this study, we determined whether COVID-19 had an impact on placental senescence. We examined placentas from women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (n = 10 …

Urinary Ammonium: A Potential Novel Biomarker For Diarrhea Severity In Patients With Ulcerative Colitis, Jared A Sninsky, L Parker Gregg, Mahbubur Rahman, Adith Ram, Jason K Hou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Design And Rationale Of Myoflame-19 Randomised Controlled Trial: Myocardial Protection To Reduce Post-Covid Inflammatory Heart Disease Using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Endpoints, Valentina O Puntmann, Dietrich Beitzke, Andreas Kammerlander, Inga Voges, Dominik D Gabbert, Marcus Doerr, Bishwas Chamling, Biykem Bozkurt, Juan Carlos Kaski, Erica Spatz, Eva Herrmann, Gernot Rohde, Philipp Deleuw, Lenka Taylor, Christine Windemuth-Kieselbach, Cornelia Harz, Marta Santiuste, Laura Schoeckel, Juliana Hirayama, Peter C Taylor, Colin Berry, Eike Nagel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cardiac symptoms due to postacute inflammatory cardiac involvement affect a broad segment of previously well people with only mild acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness and without overt structural heart disease. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging can identify the underlying subclinical disease process, which is associated with chronic cardiac symptoms. Specific therapy directed at reducing postacute cardiac inflammatory involvement before development of myocardial injury and impairment is missing.

Methods: Prospective multicenter randomized placebo-controlled study of myocardial protection therapy (combined immunosuppressive/antiremodeling) of low-dose prednisolone and losartan. Consecutive symptomatic individuals with a prior COVID-19 infection, no pre-existing significant comorbidities or structural …

Platypnea-Orthodeoxia And Patent Foramen Ovale In A Patient In The Setting Of Covid-19, Laura Sarmiento, Riyad Kherallah, Guilherme Vianna Silva

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome is a rare condition characterized by positional dyspnea and hypoxemia, with symptoms presenting in the upright position and improving when recumbent. Hypoxemia in platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome is defined as a drop in Pao

Long-Term Mortality Following Sars-Cov-2 Infection In Rural Versus Urban Dwellers With Autoimmune Or Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis From The National Covid Cohort Collaborative, A Jerrod Anzalone, Lesley E Jackson, Namrata Singh, Maria I Danila, Elizabeth Reisher, Rena C Patel, Jasvinder A Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Autoimmune or inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) increase the risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes. Although rurality is associated with higher post-COVID-19 mortality in the general population, whether rurality elevates this risk among people with AIRD is unknown. We assessed associations between rurality and post-COVID-19 all-cause mortality, up to two years post infection, among people with AIRD using a large nationally sampled US cohort.

Methods: This retrospective study used the National COVID Cohort Collaborative, a medical records repository containing COVID-19 patient data. We included adults with two or more AIRD diagnostic codes and a COVID-19 diagnosis documented between April 2020 and …

Sars-Cov-2 Detection And Persistence In A Remote Amazonian Settlement, Glauco M. Silva, Roberto C. Ilacqua, Franciely G. Gonçalves, Carla M. Santana, Felipe T. Jordão, Paula R. Prist, Melissa S. Nolan Ph.D., Mph, Andreia F. Brilhante, Marcia A. Sperança, Gabriel Z. Laporta

Faculty Publications

Background: COVID-19 continues to pose a major global health challenge. Despite its geographic distance from Brazil’s major urban centers, Acre state has experienced notable outbreaks. This study assessed the detection and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in the rural settlement of Santa Luzia, located in the remote municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre state, Brazil. Methods: In July 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted at 40 sites from an ongoing environmental study, selected by deforestation patterns and proximity to health posts. Saliva samples were collected from residents aged 5–90 years, followed by nucleic acid extraction and multiplex RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Results: …

Association Between Primary Covid-19 Vaccine Type And Booster Uptake Among Incarcerated People In Connecticut: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Michael Condon Elhardt

Public Health Theses

Importance: Booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are critical for maintaining protection against SARS-CoV-2, especially in high-risk settings such as correctional facilities. Understanding how initial vaccine type influences booster uptake can inform vaccination strategies in these and other underserved populations.Objective: To assess whether the type of COVID-19 vaccine received for the primary series—either viral vector (Janssen/Jcovden) or mRNA (Moderna/Spikevax or Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty)—was associated with timing or likelihood of booster completion among incarcerated individuals. Design: Retrospective cohort study using survival analysis methods. The study period spanned from February 2, 2021, to May 31, 2023. Setting: Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) facilities, including …

Kafka In The Plague Years: Reinterpreting Absurdity In The 2020s, Chris Lownie

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

No word better encapsulates the confusion and inequality proliferating in the post-2020 global world than “absurd.” Absurdity consumes the way we interact with one another, going about life-as-usual in pocket worlds in which the individual is alienated from both oneself and others. Life is defined by a series of problems that regularly go ignored by both institution and general populace alike, but not by the human body: the effects of sustained illness and reinfection by recurrent viruses in a world that no longer acknowledges their severity nor their pervasiveness nor steps we may take towards personal safety. Daily life has …

Assessing The Impact Of Medicaid Expansion On The Labor Market, Healthcare Access, And Health Outcomes During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kaavya Narayan

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the impact of Medicaid expansion status on labor market outcomes, healthcare access, and health outcomes during COVID-19. Using data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) model, I estimate the effects of Medicaid expansion on unemployment, financial barriers to care, obesity, and poor health before and after the pandemic. The analysis also accounts for state-level political and demographic characteristics, gender, marital status, and education level. My results show that non-expansion states, relative to expansion states of similar political and demographic breakdowns, are significantly more disadvantaged in terms of obesity, poor health, financial …

Sustainability Gaps: The Role Of Esg Disparities In M&A Performance During The Covid-19 Era, Anastasia Nikolaeva

CMC Senior Theses

My thesis investigates the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score disparities between acquirer and target companies on cumulative abnormal returns (CAR) in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) from 2018 to 2022, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Bloomberg and Refinitiv Eikon datasets, I explore whether the ESG delta between merging firms influences financial outcomes, hypothesizing that higher ESG alignment enhances CAR (cumulative abnormal return). My preliminary findings indicate that larger ESG disparities positively affect acquirer CAR but may reduce target CAR, suggesting that ESG alignment benefits vary by stakeholder and merger dynamics. These results highlight the evolving …

Effect Of Paxlovid On Neurodevelopmental Disorder Diagnosis Outcomes In Offspring Of Mothers Infected With Sars-Cov-2 During Pregnancy, Simone Rogers

CMC Senior Theses

The onset of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic brought concern over the effects that this virus would have on pregnancy and fetal outcomes, specifically neurodevelopmental outcomes. Maternal immune activation (MIA), caused by infection during pregnancy, is known to result in neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) diagnosis in offspring, typically autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This effect has already been observed in mothers who were infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy. However, in 2023, Paxlovid, the COVID-19 antiviral drug, became available to patients experiencing symptoms of the virus, including pregnant women. Consequently, this study seeks to determine whether the risk of …

The Impact Of Job Loss On Health-Related Outcomes During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kelly Prawira

CMC Senior Theses

In this paper, I explore the effects of job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic on self-reported general and mental health conditions and health insurance coverage. Using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data from 2018-2022, I evaluate the effects of job loss on these health-related outcomes by conducting a year-over-year analysis. I also examine changes in job loss effects during the pandemic by performing a difference-in-differences analysis. Overall, I find that job loss is associated with a higher likelihood of having fair or poor general and mental health, a higher likelihood to have Medicaid/SCHIP, and a lower likelihood to have private insurance. …

Trends In Science Outreach Research Through Social Media (2000-2023): A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis, María Del Pilar Quezada Castro, Marco Antonio Rodríguez Vega, María Del Pilar Castro Arellano, Guillermo Alexander Quezada Castro

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Scientific dissemination is key to transmitting specialized knowledge to society, using social networks and digital platforms as essential tools. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to identify trends, key themes, and collaboration networks in scientific outreach research.

Methods: A bibliometric analysis of 1577 papers indexed in the Scopus database between 2000 and 2023 was conducted using advanced tools such as Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The analysis focused on co-authorship patterns, citation networks, and emerging thematic trends.

Results: The findings showed exponential growth in scientific output over the last four years, shaped by the impact of the COVID-19 …

The Effect Of Sars-Cov-2 On Bacterial Diversity And Abundance In Community Wastewater, Joshua Lambert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters human respiratory cells through binding of its spike (S) protein to the ACE-2 receptor, which is highly expressed in lung cells, but is also found in over 150 other cell types encompassing major organs including GI enterocytes. SARS-CoV-2 causes gut dysbiosis in infected individuals and patients with COVID-19 and also coincides with lower alpha diversity of the individual’s gut microbiome. Certain gut microbiome-associated genera are lower in abundance in COVID-19 patients including Lachnospira, Prevetolla, Roseburia, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium while genera such as Bacteroides, Enterococcus and Proteobacteria are increased during a SARS-CoV-2 …

Risk Of Post-Acute Symptoms Among Adults: A Comparison Study Of Severe Covid-19, Pneumonia, And Influenza, Caroline M Schaefer, Trudy Millard Krause, George L Delclos, Raymond S Greenberg

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to assess the relationship between initial disease severity of COVID-19 and the risk of post-acute symptoms. The COVID-19 cohort was compared against influenza and pneumonia cohorts to assess whether risk of post-acute symptoms differed.

Methods: Administrative health claims data were obtained for commercially insured and Medicare Advantage covered adults (≥ 18 years) with symptomatic laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosed in 2020 (n=121,205), and similar cohorts of influenza (n=20,844) and pneumonia (n=29,052) patients diagnosed prior to the pandemic. Post-acute symptoms were assessed at four weeks, three and six months following initial diagnosis.

Results: Among the patients …

Protective Effects Of Psychiatric Medications Against Covid-19 Mortality Before Vaccines, Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, Trudy M Krause, Gregory Jones, Antonio L Teixeira, Lokesh R Shahani, Scott D Lane, Jair C Soares, Chau N Truong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The coronavirus disease pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which emerged in the United States in late 2019 to early 2020 and quickly escalated into a national public health crisis. Research has identified psychiatric conditions as possible risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection and symptom severity. This study aims to determine whether specific classes of psychiatric medications could reduce the likelihood of infection and alleviate the severity of the disease. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between neuropsychiatric medication usage and COVID-19 outcomes before the widespread utilization of COVID-19 vaccines. This cross-sectional study used Optum's de-identified …

A Portrait Of Pawn Shops Loans As A Survival Strategy During Covid-19 Pandemic, Putri Kemala Dewi, Abdillah Ahsan, Krisna Puji Rahmayanti

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

This study investigates the impact of the number of financing loans before and after the pandemic and analyzes internal and external factors of PT Pegadaian on Outstanding Loans as the dependent variable by using data from PT Pegadaian during 2018–2020. The statistical method used for this analysis is the Generalized Least Squares (GLS). The result shows that the financing loan by PT Pegadaian has significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic, then macroeconomic characteristics, ceteris paribus. In addition, this study found an increase in the need for pawning in society, indicated by the increase in Outstanding Loan (OSL) in PT Pegadaian.

Economic Behavior And Policy Distortions: Evidence From Firms And Households, Seth Joseph Carter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In Chapter 1, I reopen the question of whether U.S. firms experience effective tax decreases directly resulting from federal lobbying expenditures by introducing more rigorous causal-inference testing. I first model lobbying as a productive input for the legislator, affecting firm tax outcomes by influencing the share of scarce legislative attention afforded to industry tax priorities. Using multi-industry, firm-level data from 2007 to 2022, I exploit percentage changes in non-industry lobbying as a proxy for political competition facing firms through a novel application of Bartik, shift-share instrumental variable estimation and two-stage residual inclusion. Effects of induced firm lobbying shifts on reported …